EVB Sports Shorts secures €20,000 and goes forward to overall final of Seedcorn

12 November 14

Louth company, EVB Sports Shorts Ltd, was today named the Best New Start company at the Connacht & Leinster final of the 2014 InterTradeIreland All-Island Seedcorn Investor Readiness competition. EVB Sports Shorts, which is based in Drogheda, overcame tough competition from two other finalists to win €20,000 to help finance the early stages of its ventures. The company will now go on to compete in the all-island final of the competition, which will take place on Wednesday 26th November at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast.

Now in its 12th year, Seedcorn is the island’s biggest business competition for new start and early stage companies in any sector, from any part of the island. The competition, aimed at companies who have a new equity funding requirement, has an overall cash prize fund of €280,000, with no equity stake. To date, InterTradeIreland has supported over 1,950 enterprising companies through the Seedcorn process. With €174 million in new equity being raised by the companies who have reached the regional finals stage of the Seedcorn competition over the past 11 years, the competition has a strong track record of supporting early business start-ups to become investor ready.

EVB Sports Shorts has developed compression sports shorts for women which are engineered to protect and strengthen the core. Founder Yvonne Brady completed a marathon in 2010 and couldn’t find the right type of support compression designed specifically for women. Being an engineer, she could not bear to leave this problem unsolved particularly when she knew instinctively how to structure a solution. EVB Sports Shorts are that solution.

Yvonne Brady, Managing Director EVB Sports Shorts said; “As a business plan competition, it made sense to use the process as a tool to help us finalise our plan to a standard that could attract investment. Preparing the business plan to the standard required forced us to address critical issues, and present them in a way that was focused on the intended result – attracting investment. The recent InterTradeIreland presentation master class was excellent in that it gave us great feedback on how to present and how to stay on message for the intended audience. I’m delighted that we’ve won this round of the competition and look forward to putting the business plan through another test at the national final.”

Connor Sweeney, Seedcorn Project Manager, InterTradeIreland added; “This is the twelfth year of our Seedcorn competition and it is extremely encouraging to see the abundance of drive, innovative thinking and passion that entrepreneurs across the island are bringing to the table each year. Not only does the competition deliver a cash prize for the winners, but it also allows businesses to experience the competitive investor pitch process and equips them with the skills for future pitches. Companies that have reached the regional final stages of the competition are well recognised by the investor and business communities as the ‘ones to watch’ so I sincerely congratulate EVB Sports Shorts on their win today against very tough competition. The Seedcorn Competition reaches out to Businesses early in their development and it’s exciting for InterTradeIreland to work with these companies at such a crucial stage in their journey. I look forward to seeing the business grow from strength to strength.”

EVB Sports Shorts will go head-to-head with the winners of the Northern Ireland, Dublin and Munster finals for the title of overall Best New Start Company.

The all-island final will take place at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast on the 26th November, where companies are in with a chance to compete for the overall ‘Best New Start Company’ prize worth €50,000 or the overall ‘Best Early Stage Company’ prize worth €100,000.

Companies can follow the Competition on Twitter (@ITI_seedcorn) or on LinkedIn (Seedcorn Network) where they can get valuable information and advice from experts.

Further details are also available on the Seedcorn website at www.intertradeireland.com/seedcorn

Now in its 12th year, Seedcorn is the island’s biggest business competition for new start and early stage companies in any sector, from any part of the island. The competition, aimed at companies who have a new equity funding requirement, has an overall cash prize fund of €280,000, with no equity stake. To date, InterTradeIreland has supported over 1,950 enterprising companies through the Seedcorn process. With €174 million in new equity being raised by the companies who have reached the regional finals stage of the Seedcorn competition over the past 11 years, the competition has a strong track record of supporting early business start-ups to become investor ready.

EVB Sports Shorts has developed compression sports shorts for women which are engineered to protect and strengthen the core. Founder Yvonne Brady completed a marathon in 2010 and couldn’t find the right type of support compression designed specifically for women. Being an engineer, she could not bear to leave this problem unsolved particularly when she knew instinctively how to structure a solution. EVB Sports Shorts are that solution.

Yvonne Brady, Managing Director EVB Sports Shorts said; “As a business plan competition, it made sense to use the process as a tool to help us finalise our plan to a standard that could attract investment. Preparing the business plan to the standard required forced us to address critical issues, and present them in a way that was focused on the intended result – attracting investment. The recent InterTradeIreland presentation master class was excellent in that it gave us great feedback on how to present and how to stay on message for the intended audience. I’m delighted that we’ve won this round of the competition and look forward to putting the business plan through another test at the national final.”

Connor Sweeney, Seedcorn Project Manager, InterTradeIreland added; “This is the twelfth year of our Seedcorn competition and it is extremely encouraging to see the abundance of drive, innovative thinking and passion that entrepreneurs across the island are bringing to the table each year. Not only does the competition deliver a cash prize for the winners, but it also allows businesses to experience the competitive investor pitch process and equips them with the skills for future pitches. Companies that have reached the regional final stages of the competition are well recognised by the investor and business communities as the ‘ones to watch’ so I sincerely congratulate EVB Sports Shorts on their win today against very tough competition. The Seedcorn Competition reaches out to Businesses early in their development and it’s exciting for InterTradeIreland to work with these companies at such a crucial stage in their journey. I look forward to seeing the business grow from strength to strength.”

EVB Sports Shorts will go head-to-head with the winners of the Northern Ireland, Dublin and Munster finals for the title of overall Best New Start Company.

The all-island final will take place at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast on the 26th November, where companies are in with a chance to compete for the overall ‘Best New Start Company’ prize worth €50,000 or the overall ‘Best Early Stage Company’ prize worth €100,000.

Companies can follow the Competition on Twitter (@ITI_seedcorn) or on LinkedIn (Seedcorn Network) where they can get valuable information and advice from experts.

Further details are also available on the Seedcorn website at www.intertradeireland.com/seedcorn